IDF’s new Gaza commander draws rebuke for disparaging prewar ‘Israeli culture’
Before war, ‘superficial layer of revelry and debauchery’ obscured ‘ancient values,’ says Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, who commanded forces in Be’eri on October 7
Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, the newly appointed commander of the Israel Defense Force’s Gaza Division, was sharply criticized this week for comments he made denouncing the “Israeli culture” of 2023 as frivolous and irresponsible, and suggesting it enabled the October 7 Hamas attack.
“Our steadfastness stands in complete contrast to the Israeli culture that has developed here, which demands everything now,” Hiram said on Sunday, at a ceremony in which he was officially replaced in his previous role as commander of the IDF’s 99th Division.
He also took a swipe at tech entrepreneurs who, he said, were wont to seek an “exit” — a sale or IPO — in order to realize “instant gains.”
“A society that seeks to be light and buoyant, severed from the commitments of its past, and from the burden of its future. And above all, gives itself to the moment, to the present. Our enemies recognized this, and believed it was their opportunity to exterminate us,” he said.
Hiram commanded the forces in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, after thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, and starting the ongoing war in Gaza.
The battle at Be’eri became a symbol of the military’s failure on October 7. In the 1,000-strong community, 101 civilians were killed and 32 were kidnapped. Another 31 service members were killed fighting Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists. About 100 terrorists were killed in the battle.
In his speech, Hiram acknowledged the military’s failure on that day, calling the army “unprepared” and saying it had “failed to defend the citizens of the state.”
#MustWatch Messianic extremist Judaism has seeped deep into the IDF. Gen. Barak Hiram, the new Gaza Division Commander, kicks Israel and its culture and successes to the curb and blames Israeli tech success– not his own failures as a commander!– for the devastation of October 7.… pic.twitter.com/fKvOdfZDIr
— UnXeptable (@UnxeptableD) August 5, 2024
“The events of the past year have shaken us,” Hiram said. “Beyond the superficial layer of revelry and debauchery, ancient values and beliefs are resurfacing — those that unite us all, and make us the eternal people.”
Hiram said the war was an opportunity for unity between different segments of Israeli society, appealing to a “shared home” for all Israelis, as well as Jews around the world.
Many commentators took offense at the commander’s statements about the prewar “Israeli culture,” interpreting them as a disparagement of secular, liberal Israelis, and an endorsement of religious fundamentalism.
“I’m a high-tech person, I’m part of the ‘exit,’ ‘instant’ culture, as he called it, and I’m very proud of that,” said Yizhar Shay, an entrepreneur who served as minister of science and technology from 2020 to 2021, and whose son Yaron was killed in battle on October 7.
“We’re proud that we advocate a liberal culture, a modern culture. He cannot stand up and, in his farewell speech, educate me on what it is to defend the State of Israel, to respect your heritage, or what the values of Israel are. I have values, no less than Brig. Gen. Hiram,” Shay told the Kan public broadcaster.
“He’s coming out against the citizens he’s supposed to protect?” said Yair Golan, leader of the left-wing Democrats party, also to Kan. “Who’s he coming to complain to? He wants to replace the nation? I suggest he occupy himself with the leadership and not with the nation itself.”
Gilad Kariv, a member of Knesset in Golan’s party, also denounced Hiram’s comments in a post to X on Sunday.
UnXeptable, a group of Israeli expats that opposes the Netanyahu government, shared Hiram’s speech Sunday on X, calling it “phantasmagorical,” and commenting, “Messianic extremist Judaism has seeped deep into the IDF.”
Hiram does not identify as religious but is a resident of a West Bank settlement.
Eran Etzion, former deputy head of the National Security Council, echoed the group’s language, writing on Monday that “Jewish messianism is our catastrophe. Liberal Israeli-ness is our hope.”
Yuval Sade, a journalist for the Calcalist newspaper, shared an excerpt of the speech on X, commenting, “Someone who despises Israelis and Israeli culture should not command a division of the Israel Defense Forces.”
Hiram was already a controversial figure, having only recently been cleared for his new role, for which he was selected before the war, following an IDF investigation into the fighting in Be’eri on October 7.
The IDF’s tactical investigation into the battle in Be’eri said Hiram had “made professional and responsible decisions, and fully exhausted negotiation efforts,” before allowing forces to fire tank shells near the home of Be’eri resident Pessi Cohen, where terrorists were holding 15 hostages. Thirteen of the hostages were killed in the exchanges of fire.
Late last month, Hiram met with evacuated residents of Be’eri. During the meeting, described by those present as tense and difficult, Hiram apologized to the survivors for his and the army’s failures and took full responsibility for his actions.
Residents of the kibbutz had opposed Hiram’s promotion to Gaza commander. Following the meeting, some maintained their opposition, while others changed their minds.
Amid the firestorm ensuing from Hiram’s comments, the IDF’s official press statement about the Sunday event entirely omitted the commander’s controversial remarks.
Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
